Bounding Pulse Everywhere?

[Jwarrior77]

So I know lots of people experience this where their heart seems to be beating extra hard for no reason, but I was wondering if anybody else can feel it all around their body? It pounds in my fingers, hands, neck, stomach, back of head, my back, in my knees, and even nose/lips even. It gets more intense after certain foods I eat but it pretty much does it with all foods now unlike before. It's like all my arteries swell up and start to forcibly beat with no good reason. I believe this could be a histamine reaction as when I take Claritin it can lower the force of it. This is one of my most annoying symptoms as it's near constant and never goes away as it used to do. I have it when I wake up and go to sleep with it. It only ever lessens in intensity. Anyone else deal with something similar? Thanks.

[RecipeForDisaster]

Yep, this is one of the most major discomforts for me, and it keeps me from sleeping. I keep needing increased doses of metoprolol to blunt it. IV fluids help it a lot, too, but not much else does.

[Pistol]

Dear @Jwarrior77 - in me this happens when all of my blood vessels dilate and the heart has to beat extra hard to increase the pressure in order to pump enough blood through the body. Histamines COULD be a cause of this, since Histamine is a known vasodilator. Antihistamines like Claritin counteract this and are considered vasoconstrictors, so that is probably why Claritin helps.  Here are some medications that can help for MCAS from the website below.  I do not have MCAS and actually suffer from another type of POTS, but when I have allergies or insect bites this happens to me and antihistamines help me. 

www.thepatientceliac.com/2014/01/04/mast-cell-activation-syndrome-madness/

 

" Treatment options for MCAS include H1 antihistamines (such as Claritin, Allegra, and Zrytec and their generic forms), H2 antihistamines (such as Pepcid and Zantac), and mast cell stabilizers such as ketotifen and cromolyn sodium."

 

 

 

 

 

[MTRJ75]

14 hours ago, Pistol said:

Dear @Jwarrior77 - in me this happens when all of my blood vessels dilate and the heart has to beat extra hard to increase the pressure in order to pump enough blood through the body. Histamines COULD be a cause of this, since Histamine is a known vasodilator. Antihistamines like Claritin counteract this and are considered vasoconstrictors, so that is probably why Claritin helps.  Here are some medications that can help for MCAS from the website below.  I do not have MCAS and actually suffer from another type of POTS, but when I have allergies or insect bites this happens to me and antihistamines help me. 

www.thepatientceliac.com/2014/01/04/mast-cell-activation-syndrome-madness/

 

" Treatment options for MCAS include H1 antihistamines (such as Claritin, Allegra, and Zrytec and their generic forms), H2 antihistamines (such as Pepcid and Zantac), and mast cell stabilizers such as ketotifen and cromolyn sodium."

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for this explanation. It drives me nuts when I can't figure out why certain things are happening or what is happening in my body to make them happen. This makes a ton of sense.  I've been on an off claritin and other anti-histamines several times over the years with little benefit and often making Sjogren's symptoms worse for me. 

As I've felt a bit better over the last couple of months, the bounding pulse still makes it difficult to fall asleep every night. It's more annoying than concerning for me right now, but I've never noticed if the anti-histamines helped with that particular issue. May be time to experiment again. 

And to respond to the original question in this post. Yes, it's not one of my more concerning symptoms if it's not in tandem with racing or skipping, but I can generally feel a bounding pulse in many parts of my body throughout the today. At the very least, it's always a factor when lying down. 

[ramakentesh]

Pots seems to involve - in some cases - excessive venodilation with compensatory tachycardia although NET deficiency can also cause excessive tachycardia and blunted sympathetic vasoconstriction

Histamine is another option but its effrcts are mainly at the microvascular level.

[Tintag]

Jwarrior77, I have exactly what you are describing and have had that for about 9 months.  It started as a pounding heart waking me up at night and progressed to where it is nearly constant pulse feeling throughout my body it is worse sometimes but doesn't seem to ever stop entirely.  I go some days where I don't notice it much but it always makes falling asleep difficult.  My doctor thinks it's from toxic mold exposure or possibly a post viral thing.  I also feel like my heart is beating extra hard and is sometimes tired from the extra effort.  I have not found anything other than clonazopam that helps at all.  I also feel this worse after eating certain foods though it also sometime seems very random.  

I was searching online and found this site which seems to be the only info at all online about these issues.  Please share anything that is working but I am going to try the anti histamines again and hope to have some success with them.  Good luck.  

[Pistol]

@Tintag - welcome to the forum! The feeling you describe - pounding heart beat throughout the body - can be caused by low BP. In some people the BP can drop at night, and this will cause the heart to beat extra strong. Weirdly though - high BP can cause the same sensation, due to the pressure in the blood vessels being too high. If your BP goes up while lying down it is called supine hypertension. So it is a very good idea if you could measure your BP when you experience these symptoms. 

The best - and proper - test to make sure there are no arrhythmias causing your symptoms is a halter monitor. These are usually ordered for 24 or 48 hours or even for one to 3 weeks. This test will monitor your HR continuously and the report would show any underlying arrhythmias. 

5 hours ago, Tintag said:

My doctor thinks it's from toxic mold exposure or possibly a post viral thing.

Possible, but IMO it should be investigated further. Are you seeing a cardiologist?

[Tintag]

Thank you "Pistol" so much and thank you for the great information!  I am so glad I found your site and I really appreciate your feedback on this!  I think that's a very good idea.  I will definitely get a blood pressure monitor and check when I am having symptoms.  I have been to 2 cardiologist and have worn the halter once for a week and then for 30 days, a few months ago had a cardiac MRI and went to a cardiologist EP who determined my symptoms are not caused from arrhythmia.  I do have a Left Branch Bundle Block which they don't know the cause of but I have-not have a heart attack or any other cardiac event.  My ejection fraction was 52% but otherwise cardiologist thought my results were good.  

I did the mold urine test and it came back positive and my functional medicine doc thinks mold is the cause of the symptoms but lacking any other symptoms typically associated with mold and I moved out of the house with water damage in November, I want to keep looking into possible causes.  My symptoms are somewhat debilitating and very uncomfortable.  

Anyway, I've had these symptoms for a long time now so am very grateful to have some direction to follow.  I think knowing if I have high or low blood pressure will help me rule at least one of them out.  Thanks again for great information and your feedback!  

[Tintag]

I should add that my heart rate is almost always on the low side of normal like 60 and is only slightly elevated when I have the most severe symptoms.  I can feel terrible pulse and pounding heart and my HR can be 75.   I have had a few episodes of HR over 100 that have been really bad but luckily they haven't happened too often.  

[KAl85]

Are you still having this symptom?  I’ve had it for months since covid and was wondering if you found anything that helps.  I’ve had pots prior to covid and I’m on a low dose beta blocker and it’s not helping this symptom. 

[RecipeForDisaster]

I sure am. I’ve had my metoprolol increased a bunch of times and am up to 75mg. That does help but not enough. I also use taurine, and that is pretty helpful. It still drives me nuts. Like the previous poster, I can have a HR of 60 and it’s still uncomfortably pounding.

[KAl85]

I’m so sorry you’re still dealing with this.  It’s also my worst symptom. Does yours last 24/7? I’ve had this constantly for a few months now without any relief.  And like you, my HR can be low when it’s happening.  Im only on 12.5 mg of metoprolol and my dr doesn’t want to increase due to having low blood pressure so her next suggestion is to try an SSRI to help.  I’m not sure, I hate trying new meds, but Im also so uncomfortable with this issue. 

[RecipeForDisaster]

Yes, it’s constant, but overnight is the worst because I can’t sleep with the drum beat. I started on 12.5mg metoprolol and now I’m at 75mg, despite my BP being very, very low. I seem to deal with it okay because I’m in bed - I take a different beta blocker in the daytime, acebutolol. I let the pounding stay worse during the day because I am able to distract myself from it most of the time - even though it’s uncomfortable.

I'd be so interested if the SSRI worked! I’ve never tried one but I have used a ton of other remedies. Even a homemade vagal stimulator. The taurine may be worth a try, though - it’s pretty helpful.

[MikeO]

Keep in mind not all beta-blockers are equal. When i was taking metoprolol i felt stronger heart contractions and pounding to the point i could even gauge my heart rate to what i was feeling. Since my beta-blocker was changed to Carvedilol the palpitations have been much better.

While i have no idea as to how these drugs work i do know it is worth discussing what you are feeling with your Doc.  

[RecipeForDisaster]

Yeah, that’s true. For me, I am restricted in which ones I can take because of my asthma and how low my BP is. The acebutolol and metoprolol make me feel very different, though.

[MTRJ75]

This, at times, is a constant symptom, but I wouldn't call it one of my worst. Of the three types of palpitations (racing or skipping being the others), this is the one that generally concerns me the least. What I found though, is when my more concerning symptoms are less bothersome, I just seem to notice the pounding heartbeat less. It's still there like a drumbeat that bounces me up and down on the bed, but no longer stops me from sleeping on it's own. I don't know what to say other than once your less conscious of your heartbeat overall, it might not bother you as much. 

[KAl85]

I’m curious what causes this, especially when my HR can be in the 60s-70s and it’s happening.   Would you consider this different than internal tremors?   It’s hard to tell because this feels like my pulse, but in my head, chest, neck and even in my legs at times. Others have told me it sounds more like internal tremors, but it’s not a vibration feeling. My body does internally shake, but again it feels like it is shaking to my pulse (even though it’s not always high). It’s a new symptom and quite uncomfortable. My dr believes it’s due to an overtime sympathetic nervous system brought on by covid. 

[MTRJ75]

Internal tremors for me are more like a vibration, like an old car in the winter. 

Bounding/pounding pulse is more like lying on top of loud musical instrument (drum or base). Evenly paced and often much slower than tremor vibrations. 

I can feel a bounding pulse in my back if I'm lying down. It's like it's making my body bounce or more. Internal tremors are just mostly in my chest area.